Line gripping device

ABSTRACT

This disclosure pertains to a line gripping device such as a rope puller, a wire puller, or a cleat. The line gripping device utilizes both the camming and the jamming action. More particularly, the disclosure illustrates a handle attached to a base with a first jaw member adjustably but firmly attached to the base. A second jaw member is mounted on the base adjacent the first jaw member with the gripping teeth of the jaw members spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit a rope to be inserted therebetween. The second jaw member is mounted for movement toward and away from the first jaw member by a camfollower arrangement so that the first and second jaw members are constantly maintained in a parallel relationship. Accordingly, tension on a line placed between the jaws causes a camming operation to force the jaws together to grip the line while the angular relationship of the teeth causes the line to be jammed between the jaws. In another embodiment of the disclosure, the jaws are mounted on a base which is secured by screws to a deck of a vessel so as to form a combination jam-cam cleat.

United States Patent 1191 Bowers 145} July 10, 1973 LINE GRIPPING DEVICE[75] Inventor: Thomas S. Bowers, Lake Forest, 111.

[73] Assignee: A. L. Hansen Mfg. Co., Gurnee, Ill.

[22] Filed: June 23, 1971 [21] Appl. No; 155,778

[52] US. Cl 24/136 R [51] Int. Cl. F16g 11/00 [58] Field of Search24/136 B, 126 C, 24/263 SW, 263 A, 263 DM, 249 DP [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 473,471 4/1892 Manton 24/126 R 906,505 12/1908Burkholder. 24/249 DP 1,478,950 12/1923 Gilliam 24/126 R 1,505,6388/1924 Glass 24/136 R 2,031,407 2/1936 CampbelL. 24/263 SW 3,247,5654/1966 Griffin 24/263 SW FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 389,096 10/1908France 24/263 R Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam Attorney-Walter E.Pavlick [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure pertains to a line gripping devicesuch as a rope puller, a wire puller, or a cleat. The line grippingdevice utilizes both the camming and the jamming action. Moreparticularly. the disclosure illustrates a handle attached to a basewith a first jaw member adjustably but firmly attached to the base. Asecond jaw member is mounted on the base adjacent the first jaw memberwith the gripping teeth of the jaw members spaced apart a sufficientdistance to permit a rope to be inserted therebetween. The second jawmember is mounted for movement toward and away from the first jaw memberby a cam-follower arrangement so that the first and second jaw membersare constantly maintained in a parallel relationship. Accordingly,tension on a line placed between the jaws causes a camming operation toforce the jaws together to grip the line while the angular relationshipof the teeth causes the line to be jammed between the jaws. In another.embodiment of the disclosure, the jaws are mounted on a base which issecured by screws to a deck of a vessel so as to form a combinationjam-cam cleat.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures mama JUL I 0 ms x I I8 20 l 28 if IO) FIG. 2

INVENIOR. THOMAS S. BOWERS Wmam ATTORNEY LINE GRIPPING DEVICE BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention The field of this inventionis line gripping devices such as a rope gripping device for marine use,a wire puller, or a deck cleat.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art devices can be basicallysegregated into two groups. First, cam cleats or wire grippers such asP. B. Shea US. Pat. No. 2,836,870, issued June 3, 1968 and the J. G.Judd US. Pat. No. 1,520,716, ussued Dec. 30, 1924. In these devices, oneor more eccentrically mounted wheels are provided with teeth and arerotated to cam a rope between the eccentrically mounted wheel and astationary member or between two eccentrically mounted wheels. Second isthe jam cleat such as that shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,574,900. Thejamming cleat utilizes a pair of walls shaped in cross-section in a V sothat a rope pulled between the walls is jammed to the bottom of the V tohold the rope securely.

WIth the cam cleats and the wire grippers, merely point contact isestablished between the cams and a line so that extreme pressure isplaced on the line to the extent that the line itself may be severed. Onthe other hand, the jamming cleats do not operate to hold and releasethe line easily and thus are not completely satisfactory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to providethe best features of both the camming and the jamming cleats.

It is another object of this invention to provide parallel motion of onejaw member with respect to the other so as to establish full linecontact between the jaws and the line.

A further object of this invention is to provide a line gripper orjam-cam cleat which is easily operable both to grip the line as well asrelease the same when tension is released.-

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple structure withfew parts which can withstand loads not heretofore possible.

The invention comprises a first jaw member having a gripping meansadapted to cooperate with the gripping means on a second jaw member.Means is provided for mounting the second jaw member for movement towardand away from the first jaw member while maintaining the jaw members ina parallel relationship so that a line between the jaw members isgripped the full length of the jaw members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the linegripping device embodying this invention with the jaws in their fullyseparated position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view similar to FIG. I with the rope positioned betweenthe jaws with the jaws positioned in their closed relationship;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the line gripping device shown inFIG. 1 with the jaw adjusting screws shown in phantom;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of 'the line gripping device shown inFIG. 1;

- FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the line gripping device shown in FIG. 1with the head of one of the cam followers cut away;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of another embodiment of this invention showingthe concept as a deck cleat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT First Embodiment (FIGS. 1-6)Referring more particularly to the drawings, the invention comprisesthree basic parts; a mounting base 10, a first jaw member 12, and asecond jaw member 14. The base member 10 is of generally rectangularconfiguration and has a pair of upstanding end walls 16 and 18. The endwalls 16 and 18 have V-shaped slots 22 and 24 which act as guides for aline cable or rope 20 as best illustrated in FIG. 2.

Formed integral with the mounting base member 10 is a handle 26. Thehandle 26 is conventional in nature with an opening through which thefingers may be placed.

The jaw members 12 and 14 are each of generally rectangularconfiguration with the jaw member 12 having a length substantially equalto the distance between the end walls 16 and 18 of the base member 10.On the other hand, the second jaw member 14 has a length somewhatsmaller than the distance between the end walls 16 and 18 so that thesecond jaw member 14 can move into engagement either with the end wall16 or the end wall 18. The inner faces of the jaw members 12 v and 14are spaced relative to each other and slope toward each other so as toform a V which, as viewed in FIG. 4, has a separation slightly smallerthan the V-slots 22 and 24 provided in the end walls 16 and 18 of thebase member.

Means is disposed on the inner faces of the jaw members l2 and 14 forgripping the line or cable adapted to be positioned therebetween. Moreparticularly, a series of ridges and grooves 28 are provided on theinner faces of jaw members 12 and 14 and extend the entire lengththereof. As best shown in FIG. 6, the grooves slope from the upperlefthand corner of the jaw member 14 to the lower righthand cornerthereof at an angle to the base of approximately 45 degrees. The ridgesand the grooves on the jaw member 12 are similarly sloped so as to be inalignment with the ridges and grooves on the second jaw member 14.

To mount the jaw members 12 and 14 to the mount ing base member 10, apair of parallel slots 30 and 32, as best seen in FIG. 5, are providedon the under surfaceof the mounting base 10. The slots 30 and 32 aresimilar in configuration and each have a head portion and extendparallel to the end walls 16 and 18 for the greater portion of the widthof the base member 10 and terminate in a camming curve tail portion 34.Recessed within each of the slots 30 and 32 is a second slot 36 formedby shoulders 38 and 40. The shoulders 38 and 40 extend substantially thefull width of the slots 30 and 32 but terminate at the head portionthereof. Accordingly, the heads 42 (only one shown in FIG. 5) of camfollowers 44 which extend downwardly from the bottom of the jaw member14, may be inserted in the head portion of the slots 30 and 32 andslipped along the slots toward the tail portion thereof. As is apparentin FIGS. 5 and 6, the neck of the cam followers 44 are accommodatedwithin the second slot 36 formed by the shoulder 38 and 40 with the headportion 42 of the cam follower resting on the shoulders so as to beretained within the slots 30 and 32 As a next step, the heads of thepair of screws 46 projecting downwardly from beneath the first jawmember 12 are inserted in the head portion of the slots 30 and 32 andlikewise slid along the slots to their desired location with the necksof the screws being accommodated within the second or recessed slot. Tofix the position of the first jaw member in its desired location on thebase 10, a pair of circular seats 48 and 50 are provided on theshoulders 38 and 40 in each of the slots 30 and 32. When the screw heads46 are positioned in the desired location, such as in seats 50, thescrews are then tightened to fixedly secure the first jaw member 12 inits desired location on the base.

In operation, the line gripping device is grasped by the handle 26 and arope, line or cable 20 is disposed between the first and second jawmembers 12 and 14.

as well as in the V-slot guides 22 and 24 in the end walls 16 and 18.Tension on the cable 20 causes the teeth formed by the ridges andgrooves 28 in the jaw members l2 and 14 to grasp the cable. Such tensioncauses the cam followers 44 to automatically move along the cammingcurve tail portion 34 of slots 30 and 32 to effect movement of thesecond jaw member 14 towards the end wall 18 and, at the same time,towards the first jaw member 12. It should be noted that, due to theparallel relationship of the slots 30 and 32, the faces of the jawmembers 12 and 14 are maintained in a parallel relationship so that thecable 20 is grasped along the entire longitudinal length of the jawmembers 12 and 14 to firmly grip the cable in a non-cutting manner.Furthermore, the ridges and grooves 28 provided on the faces of the jawmembers 12 and 14 cooperate with the convolutions on the cable 20 and,due to the angularity of the ridges and grooves, force the cable towardsthe bottom of the V formed by the positioning of the first and secondjaw member with respect to each other providing a jamming effect.

Upon release of the tension on cable 20, the jaw member 14 is free tomove back towards the end wall 16 and away from the jaw member 12through movement of the cam followers 44 around the camming curve tailportion to the end thereof as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the gripping devicemay be moved entirely away from the cable or merely slid along the cableto firmly establish another gripping operation for pulling the cable.

Should the cable or rope to be gripped by the line gripping device varysubstantially in size from that shown, it is merely necessary to loosenthe screws 46 and move them along the second slot 36 from circular seat50 to circular seat 48. This has the effect of moving the first jawmember 12 from one fixed position relative to the base and to the secondjaw member to another fixed position upon retightening of the screws 46.Thus, it is apparent that the V groove established by the positioning ofthe first and second jaw members may be varied as desired.

Second Embodiment (FIG. 7)

Referring now to the second embodiment of the invention which is shownin FIG. 7, like reference numerals have been used to designate partssimilar to those shown in the first embodiment of the invention.Accordingly, a first jaw member 12 is provided on a base member 10 withend walls 16 and 18 having V-shaped slots 22 and 24 to guide theposition of the rope or cable. A second jaw member 14 is adapted formovement relative to the first jaw member in a parallel relationshipsimilar to the first embodiment. However, instead of the handle 26 asshown in the first embodiment, a pair of mounting extensions 52 and 54project outwardly from the end walls 16 and 18 and are provided withapertures to receive screws 56 (four in this instance). Accordingly, thebase member 10 may be secured through the mounting extensions 52 and 54to a deck or other similar structure by the screws 56. A rope or cablemay then be positioned between the jaws l2 and 14 and tension upon thesame will cause a gripping of the rope through the camming and jammingeffect previously described. Thus it is apparent that this invention hasready application as a cleat.

While only two embodiments of this invention have been shown anddescribed it is apparent that there may be many changes in structure andoperation without departing from the scope of this invention as definedby the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A line gripping device comprising: (a) a base member, (b) a first jawmember fixedly mounted to said base member and having an angularlydisposed face with alternate ridges and grooves disposed at an angle onsaid face, (0) a second jaw member disposed on said base in juxtaposedrelation to said first jaw member and having an angularly disposed facewith alternate ridges and grooves disposed at an angle on said face, (d)said faces of said first and second jaw members being spaced apart toform a generally V-shaped opening into which a line to be gripped may beeasily guided, (c) said base member and said second jaw member having apair of cooperating cam follower-cam slots thereon with said cam slotsbeing parallel to each other and having angular paths whereby saidsecond jaw member is mounted on said base for free movement toward andaway from said first jaw members in a parallel relationship, (f) saidalternate ridges and grooves causing said second jaw member toautomatically move toward said first jaw member when tension is appliedto a line between the jaws and causing automatic movement away from saidfirst jaw member upon relaxation of tension to release said line, (g)said V-shaped slot permitting easy ingress and egress of said line whiletension on the line tends to force the line to the bottom of the V toincrease the grip on the line, said cam slots extending generallyperpendicular to said faces of said first and second jaw members andhaving a portion of their path varying from the perpendicular.

2. A line gripping device according to claim 1 wherein said cam slotsare recessed within said base member and accommodate the mounting meansfor said first jaw member to secure said first jaw member in a selectedposition in said cam slots to adjust the initial spacing between saidfirst and second jaw members.

3. A line gripping device according to claim 1 wherein said base memberis provided with end walls between which said first and second jawmembers are mounted and wherein said end walls are provided with guidemeans to facilitate positioning of the line be tween said jaw members.

4. A line gripping device according to claim 3 wherein a handle issecured to said base member adjacent one of said end walls to facilitatemoving said line gripping device into and out of contact with a line.

* a: at

1. A line gripping device comprising: (a) a base member, (b) a first jawmember fixedly mounted to said base member and having an angularlydisposed face with alternate ridges and grooves disposed at an angle onsaid face, (c) a second jaw member disposed on said base in juxtaposedrelation to said first jaw member and having an angularly disposed facewith alternate ridges and grooves disposed at an angle on said face, (d)said faces of said first and second jaw members being spaced apart toform a generally V-shaped opening into which a line to be gripped may beeasily guided, (e) said base member and said second jaw member having apair of cooperating cam follower-cam slots thereon with said cam slotsbeing parallel to each other and having angular paths whereby saidsecond jaw member is mounted on said base for free movement toward andaway from said first jaw members in a parallel relationship, (f) saidalternate ridges and grooves causing said second jaw member toautomatically move toward said first jaw member when tension is appliedto a line between the jaws and causing automatic movement away from saidfirst jaw member upon relaxation of tension to release said line, (g)said V-shaped slot permitting easy ingress and egress of said line whiletension on the line tends to force the line to the bottom of the V toincrease the grip on the line, said cam slots extending generallyperpendicular to said faces of said first and second jaw members andhaving a portion of their path varying from the perpendicular.
 2. A linegripping device according to claim 1 wherein said cam slots are recessedwithin said base member and accomadate the mounting means for said firstjaw member to secure said first jaw member in a selected position insaid cam slots to adjust the initial spacing between said first andsecond jaw members.
 3. A line gripping device according to claim 1wherein said base member is provided with end walls between which saidfirst and second jaw members are mounted and wherein said end walls areprovided with guide means to facilitate positioning of the line betweensaid jaw members.
 4. A line gripping device according to claim 3 whereina handle is secured to said base member adjacent one of said end wallsto facilitate moving said line gripping device into and out of contactwith a line.